Vine Park brewing in the heart of St. Paul has a nice little operation going for themselves, the only way you can get their beer is if you either go pick up a growler or go with a friend or two or three and brew the beer yourself (with a little help from their onsite brewers). I have done both, but this Hefe I picked up in growler form on a nice unusually summery day in May in MN. I cracked the growler outside in the backyard with the grill going and honestly you couldn’t have a better scenario.

The beer poured out a rich yellow (yes a little like what you might find in a toilet bowl) with a nice cloudy presence in my glass. It wasn’t like staring into a yellow swamp, it was clear enough to see right through. It was not as yellow/golden as I had expected.

There were definite funky yeasty smells right off the bat. This was a great representation of a Hefe. There was also a little spicy tinge from the hops.

It tasted great, it might have been the fact that it was sunny and warm and I was outside grilling but this was the perfect beer for that exact situation. It was a crisp wheat beer that I would pick up anytime a bright sunny day comes my way. It was bubbly and had a great light feel that wouldn’t fill you up too much when the weather is hot. It went down smooth and left me wanting more and more until the growler was gone.

Vine Park has done an excellent job on this beer. It was as solid a summer hefe as you could imagine. There wasn’t any specifically unique tastes but it hit all the right notes and was exactly what the brewers were probably aiming for. A must have for a day out on the lake with some friends.